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The Stuff That Happens NowThu, 08 Dec 2016 15:52:42 +0000en-UShourly140430945Digital Marketing. Five Cool & Creative Cases For The Weekend.http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/davaidavai/~3/HcNBqSmuwUY/
http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/11/19/digital-marketing-cases/#commentsSat, 19 Nov 2016 09:01:57 +0000http://www.davaidavai.com/?p=9585While planning to stop the rise of alt-right going through my readling list I stumbled upon a post in which the Digiday Award Winner 2016 were announced. Just in case you don’t know the website: Digiday is a superb online magazine dedicated to all sorts of mostly digital marketing. Read it. It’s good for you. Lately I realized I should […]

]]>While planning to stop the rise of alt-right going through my readling list I stumbled upon a post in which the Digiday Award Winner 2016 were announced. Just in case you don’t know the website: Digiday is a superb online magazine dedicated to all sorts of mostly digital marketing. Read it. It’s good for you.

Lately I realized I should present more interesting digital/mobile/connected creative cases. And Digiday’s winner list actually makes it quite simple for me to present some fancy fun stuff from the marketing intertubes. Basically I just steal my faves from them and put it on my blog. Simple, right? We call it curation.

Here we go.

We all know Casper. Yes, the mattress brand. Up until recently none of us even had the slightest clue that you could actually market mattresses via ecommerce. This has changed a lot. Digiday presented the award to Casper not only to honor their cool new business model but also for their fun content strategy which more than obviously revolves around sleep.

Casper’s Late Night Snap Hacks enables people already lying in bed to convince their friends that they are actually out having a blast. Again: a fun little way to bring the brand to live.

Then there was TVGla with their petmoji app for Disney’s “The Secret Life of Pets” film. It allows users to create an emoji avatar for their own pet dog or cat (PetMOJIs) via text, email, social media and more. Another good example of combining a simple insight (pet owners like to show their pets around) with a digital trend (emojis) and a simple, fun interface.

R/GA and Samsung won Digiday’s Best in Show award for creating this stunning digital campaign for antidiary, Rhianna’s eighth studio album. The website is unfortunately offline right now. But you can spot the idea of her moving from a child’s room through a number of rooms pretty easily in the next clip (and the following ones). The original campaign consisted of a website and an app to explore the singer’s narrative around her album.

Finally the Economist with their real-time targeting campaign…I have to admit, these campaigns are neither actual crazy marketing voodoo (anyone can set up a targeting campaign on Facebook) nor do they actually “look great” after all those fine examples. But in fact, it is a rather complex endeavour to intertwine a paid media logic with a smart data-guided creative approach. I really like this…

Liked it? I am always happy to receive new links to similar cases. Enjoy the weekend.

]]>Okay, this is breaking news straight from the ministry of bad ideas: Vivepaper is a VR magazine stand that lets users check out VR content from major publishers.
Put your headset on, scan a physical AR booklet, and follow VR content from your favorite magazines – at least that’s the idea. Vivepaper will launch in China and I guess it will stay there as a Conde Nast prototype:

Why is this not going to fly?
Simply because you cannot imagine two concepts further apart than print magazines and HTC Vive. This is not even worth the effort of putting on the massive HTC Vive headset for a nicely animated National Geographic special. But how about Der Spiegel? Or the Washington Post? Or 99% of all other magazines?

]]>http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/10/31/htc-vivepaper/feed/09566http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/10/31/htc-vivepaper/Documentary. The Creation Of The Iconic Volkswagen Brand.http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/davaidavai/~3/xGUz00ni-3k/
http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/10/24/documentary-creation-iconic-volkswagen-brand/#respondMon, 24 Oct 2016 08:49:36 +0000http://www.davaidavai.com/?p=9554I started my marketing career a couple of years before anybody ever dreamed of activating via influencers on Youtube. The good old days, if you want, when everything was simple, margins were great, and Creative Directors conducted their shoots in Australia (because the light there is better). The Mad Men of this era were usually the advertising […]

]]>I started my marketing career a couple of years before anybody ever dreamed of activating via influencers on Youtube. The good old days, if you want, when everything was simple, margins were great, and Creative Directors conducted their shoots in Australia (because the light there is better).

The Mad Men of this era were usually the advertising silverbacks that really transformed industries: Tom Carty, Walter Campbell, Bernbach, Bartle, Bogle, Hegarty, Charles Wilp. Most of these people created some of the most iconic campaigns and brands in the world, defining a language and visual metaphors that did not exist by then.

One of these iconic brands is Volkswagen. The German car brand obviously had to be relaunched after the war. And some smart people and DDB did a great job in doing exactly that. British filmmaker Joe Marcantonio, created the following new documentary called “Remember Those Great Volkswagen Ads?”. Its task is to dive deeper into the mechanics behind advertising that helped win hearts & minds.

]]>http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/10/24/documentary-creation-iconic-volkswagen-brand/feed/09554http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/10/24/documentary-creation-iconic-volkswagen-brand/Smaller, Lighter, Cheaper. With Oculus Santa Cruz and PS4 VR Will Enter Mass Market.http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/davaidavai/~3/3p4Zu8fwgao/
http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/10/14/oculus-santa-cruz-ps4-vr-mass-market/#respondFri, 14 Oct 2016 06:37:49 +0000http://www.davaidavai.com/?p=9502I really think VR will be the next big thing. Okay. Now I said it. The reason is pretty simple: if connected to an optimized game or tech demo VR applications are some of the most immersive experiences. The technology has become convincing enough to become a new connecting element that will serve as glue between games, […]

The reason is pretty simple: if connected to an optimized game or tech demo VR applications are some of the most immersive experiences. The technology has become convincing enough to become a new connecting element that will serve as glue between games, films, music, and all those tweeting, instagraming users all over the world. This is a truly disruptive technology in many ways. And it will transform many, many entertainment categories from linear to interactive experiences.

Me, doing future stuff (with a Samsung VR headset)

Facebook’s massive Oculus Rift headsets as well as HTC’s Vive were the first VR solutions that really felt like something totally new is coming. It simply felt like serious fun, particularly when connected to a super fast Gaming PC with a fast Geforce graphic card. And here lies the key problem of first generation VR: it is huge, it is massive, and it is incredibly expensive. When connected, you basically walk around with a bulky helmet and more cable than in an emergency room. Oh…and in addition to a €1,000 highend VR headset (+controllers) you will need a Gamer PC in a price range of € 2,000-5,000.

But rejoice. Something big is happening in VR these days. Cheaper, smaller, more mobile VR headsets enter the market. PlayStation VR will be launched in just four weeks. It is based on the widely distributed PS4 and costs half as much as an Oculus Rift. In other words, it is a mass market product with “Near-PC quality performance”. It will be an affordable product for everyone. And it seems to be a good solution. techradar calls it the “promised land for virtual reality on consoles“.

And they add:

“PlayStation VR is an affordable introduction to quality VR. Many of the experiences aren’t as crisp or as immersive as the ones found on the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive but, for a system that uses a PS4 instead of an expensive PC gaming rig, I’m not complaining.”

But Sony seems to be only one player to push big, bulky VR headsets to the next level. Mark Zuckerberg himself demonstrated a prototype of the new Oculus “Santa Cruz” platform in highly entertaining video:

So what is new about Oculus “Santa Cruz”? Santa Cruz seems to be the next evolutionary step after “Rift”. According to Ars Technica this will be “a completely new category of virtual reality headset with “inside-out” tracking technology. By using cameras built in to the device itself, combined with computer vision algorithms, inside-out tracking lets a headset calculate your position and head angle as you walk freely about a room, with no external cameras or PC/console tether required.”

Big deal!

Oculus works on a highly mobile VR headset. This is essentially like switching from a landline phone to a mobile.

VR headsets entered the markets earlier this year. From now on they will become smaller and, simultaneously, technically more advanced. Cheaper mass market headsets won’t require big bulky PCs anymore but instead run on their own, or they will serve as just one more feature to add to your PS4.

And seriously: Who would not seriously think about a €400 PS4 headset, if you can experience that?

Crytek’s “Robinson” will be launched on Nov 8/9 for PS4 (among othes)

Eve is a MMORPG is already running on Oculus and will be available for PS4 VR once it launches

]]>http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/10/14/oculus-santa-cruz-ps4-vr-mass-market/feed/09502http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/10/14/oculus-santa-cruz-ps4-vr-mass-market/Poo Pourri’s New Ad. How To Be A Party Pooper.http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/davaidavai/~3/4noyhBRvfNI/
http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/10/07/poo-pourris-new-ad-party-pooper/#respondFri, 07 Oct 2016 11:39:08 +0000http://www.davaidavai.com/?p=9497Okay, I have to admit, I love Poo-Pourri. Poo-Pourri has been on the market for quite some time now, positioning itself as the “Before-You-Go” toilet spray. The product itself is an evolutionary step from standard toilet sprays: It is used before you go instead of afterwards. In order to stress the challenges that can arise […]

Poo-Pourri has been on the market for quite some time now, positioning itself as the “Before-You-Go” toilet spray. The product itself is an evolutionary step from standard toilet sprays: It is used before you go instead of afterwards. In order to stress the challenges that can arise from doing your business without their products, Poo-Pourri’s communication strategy basically relies on communicating embarrassment as the one and only logical result of a life without their products.

I loved their first promotional video (they call it “viral”) in combination with their clear and obvious sales focus. Seriously, you won’t find many brand activations that rely on video that drive to a modern, clean e-commerce experience as efficiently. And here is their next video.

]]>http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/10/07/poo-pourris-new-ad-party-pooper/feed/09497http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/10/07/poo-pourris-new-ad-party-pooper/Visualising Narratives. Kurt Vonnegut’s “The Shape Of Stories” Concept.http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/davaidavai/~3/YaWoHpvQ_tQ/
http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/09/25/kurt-vonnegut-shape-stories/#respondSun, 25 Sep 2016 20:12:04 +0000http://www.davaidavai.com/?p=9475Kurt Vonnegut was, without a doubt, one of the most influential American authors of the 20th century. In a career spanning over 50 years, Vonnegut published fourteen novels, three short story collections, five plays and several non-fiction works. In Kurt Vonnegut’s (rejected) master’s thesis in anthropology at the University of Chicago he dealt with a […]

]]>Kurt Vonnegut was, without a doubt, one of the most influential American authors of the 20th century. In a career spanning over 50 years, Vonnegut published fourteen novels, three short story collections, five plays and several non-fiction works.

In Kurt Vonnegut’s (rejected) master’s thesis in anthropology at the University of Chicago he dealt with a concept that, in Vonnegut’s words, came to the conclusion “that stories have shapes which can be drawn on graph paper.”

By mapping the narrative arc of popular storylines along a simple graph. The X-axis represents the chronology of the story, from beginning to end, while the Y-axis represents the experience of the protagonist, on a spectrum of ill fortune to good fortune.

Vonnegut’s concept can be super helpful in understanding or visualising storytelling concepts. It is not only an enlightening thought, but potentially something you may want to use in your next client presentation.

]]>http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/09/25/kurt-vonnegut-shape-stories/feed/09475http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/09/25/kurt-vonnegut-shape-stories/dmexco 2016. My Favorite Talks As Youtube Playlist.http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/davaidavai/~3/okkGnx1oU7c/
http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/09/18/favorite-talks-dmexco-2016/#respondSun, 18 Sep 2016 14:22:55 +0000http://www.davaidavai.com/?p=9462If you work in the broader digital industry and haven’t spent the last decade under a stone, you will know what DMEXCO is. Located in Cologne, Germany, it has turned into the largest digital fair and conference in the world. This year, with a record-breaking 50,000 visitors, DMEXCO has entered a completely different league. Beyond the expo with thousands […]

]]>If you work in the broader digital industry and haven’t spent the last decade under a stone, you will know what DMEXCO is. Located in Cologne, Germany, it has turned into the largest digital fair and conference in the world. This year, with a record-breaking 50,000 visitors, DMEXCO has entered a completely different league.

Beyond the expo with thousands of small, medium-sized and major digital companies, the most notable thing about DMEXCO is a great variety of talks and panels on media, content, VR, search, digital transformation and many other topics. This year I had the pleasure to be part of a Facebook panel. And to give you an overview of my personal favorite talks, I have created the following Youtube list for you to follow some of the most inspiring DMEXCO talks.

Feel free to point me at other great talks from DMEXCO that I may not be aware of by now. If you click the headline of the video below, you will get to my playlist. In the top right hand corner you can find a curated list of 12 videos that I recommend, plus the one that I participated in

]]>http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/09/18/favorite-talks-dmexco-2016/feed/09462http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/09/18/favorite-talks-dmexco-2016/Our Engineering Culture. Two Videos On The Work Ethics Behind Spotify.http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/davaidavai/~3/-sO0wGDElW0/
http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/08/17/engineering-culture-two-videos-work-ethics-behind-spotify/#respondWed, 17 Aug 2016 13:31:05 +0000http://www.davaidavai.com/?p=9433The following two videos are not (repeat: NOT) new. Apologies. But you know, there are 5 podcasts a day that I need to listen to. 18 email newsletters and about 200 RSS feeds, not even mentioning the twitters and stuff. Sometimes you just miss something. But kidding aside: these are two super interesting videos about […]

But you know, there are 5 podcasts a day that I need to listen to. 18 email newsletters and about 200 RSS feeds, not even mentioning the twitters and stuff. Sometimes you just miss something.
But kidding aside: these are two super interesting videos about spotify’s work culture – they call it “Engineering Culture”.

]]>http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/08/17/engineering-culture-two-videos-work-ethics-behind-spotify/feed/09433http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/08/17/engineering-culture-two-videos-work-ethics-behind-spotify/Big Brand Stuff. Three Ads We Liked This Week.http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/davaidavai/~3/NXE4jHUDxes/
http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/08/16/good-advertising-nike-ikea/#respondTue, 16 Aug 2016 16:17:31 +0000http://www.davaidavai.com/?p=9426Is advertising dead? Certainly not. But it is definitely under pressure from too much shit going on our info overload and multiple marketing-related disciplines that users prefer over emotional stories. Such as finding and understanding stuff that they actually want to buy. But no matter what you can think about the demise of The Campaign: sometimes you […]

]]>Is advertising dead? Certainly not. But it is definitely under pressure from too much shit going on our info overload and multiple marketing-related disciplines that users prefer over emotional stories. Such as finding and understanding stuff that they actually want to buy.

But no matter what you can think about the demise of The Campaign: sometimes you see these totally funny TV ads. And all of a sudden you understand why advertising still has the power to convince and manipulate people. All you need is a big brand, a hollywood studio and a budget the GDP of Libya…and TV works for you.

1. Temptations – Treat Them Too.

This is a cat treats brand. The ad is amazing. The idea is simple. The execution is brilliant.

2. IKEA – Let’s Relax.

IKEA puts food selfies into perspective and asks us to relax. I think this is a good idea.

3. Nike – Youth.

Nike features 86 year-old Sister Madonna Buder aka “The Iron Nun”. She did 40 IRONMAN triathalon races so far, which packs together a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike and a 26.2-mile run.

]]>http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/08/16/good-advertising-nike-ikea/feed/09426http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/08/16/good-advertising-nike-ikea/You Got It Wrong. P&G Did Not Drop Facebook Targeting Last Week.http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/davaidavai/~3/5-Oo7JCuoD4/
http://www.davaidavai.com/2016/08/15/pg-facebook-targeting/#respondMon, 15 Aug 2016 14:39:17 +0000http://www.davaidavai.com/?p=9413Marc Pritchard is a powerful man in the world of advertising. The CMO of Procter & Gamble, the world’s biggest ad spender, has just recently announced that P&G “will move away from ads on Facebook that target specific consumers, concluding that the practice has limited effectiveness.” That’s an interesting move and it is both, a […]

]]>Marc Pritchard is a powerful man in the world of advertising. The CMO of Procter & Gamble, the world’s biggest ad spender, has just recently announced that P&G “will move away from ads on Facebook that target specific consumers, concluding that the practice has limited effectiveness.”

That’s an interesting move and it is both, a blow for Facebook as well as a good argument for each and every digital-sceptic marketing person in this world. After all, we watch the world’s number 1 ad buyer move away from Facebook’s targeting mechanism. Don’t we?

But what has actually happened?

In his Wall Street Journal interview Pritchard commented:

“We targeted too much, and we went too narrow,” he said in an interview, “and now we’re looking at: What is the best way to get the most reach but also the right precision?”
Mr. Pritchard said P&G won’t cut back on Facebook spending and will employ targeted ads where it makes sense, such as pitching diapers to expectant mothers. (…)
The social network is able to command higher prices for its targeted marketing; the narrower the targeting the more expensive the ad.”

In other words: this was an ROI problem in the first place. Facebook’s great targeting engine can reach a lot of very specific people for your brand. But it simply is more obvious to target young, suburbian parents with a specific monthly income-bracket if you want to sell a Volvo instead of toilet paper. This simply makes no sense and shows the limitations of targeted ads nicely. This doesn’t mean P&G will cut back on Facebook spending generally. They will probably just stop hyper-targeting people to buy tissues. That’s it.

Everyone chill. Or did anyone really expect that you can sell significantly more toilet paper if you target catholic hispanic turtle-owners from Maine who were recently married?